Robert Quarles
Robert Quarles is a recurring character in the third season of the FX series Justified. Quarles was first introduced in the Season 3 premiere episode "The Gunfighter". Quarles is a Dixie mafia boss from Detroit, Michigan who comes to Kentucky to get payment of a debt from Emmitt Arnett, and through Yvette, foils Arnett's attempt to gather the money. Quarles murders Arnett and Yvette at the end of the episode, aiming to take over Arnett's territory for himself. He plans to forge documents to front as a legitimate medical supplier of oxycontin while funnelling half of the drugs to Detroit for resale. Quarles is portrayed by guest star Neal McDonough. Biography Background Quarles is a crime boss from Detroit, Michigan with ties to the Dixie Mafia. Quarles hopes that he can take over crime in Harlan County, Kentucky. Quarles's father died while he was a teenager, and he ended up being adopted by Detroit crime boss Theo Tonin. Quarles grew to despise his adopted brother Sammy Tonin for his cowardice, and even more so when Theo allowed Sammy to have his inheritance over Quarles. Quarles relocated to Harlan Country, Kentucky for a new start and wanted to take over business himself. Quarles is a cold blooded, ruthless killer. Season 3 Quarles is first seen at the beginning of the premiere episode "The Gunfighter", having a meeting with Emmitt Arnett. Quarles represents the criminal bosses in Detroit and demands repayment of a loan from Arnett. Arnett agrees to pay him within 24 hours. Quarles seduces Arnett's secretary Yvette and gives her information to pass to Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens about a planned meeting between Fletcher Nix and Arnett at a cabstand. Marshals arrest Arnett's driver and seize the payment Nix gives him, leaving Arnett unable to pay. Quarles is focused on taking over crime in Harlan County. At the end of the episode, Quarles, Arnett, and Wynn Duffy meet in Arnett's office. Quarles reveals that he told the Marshals about the meeting and Arnett assumes that he is joking. Quarles, after gulping down wine, seriously tells him "I'm not joking." Arnett asks him why and Quarles explains "You had a good thing going here, Emmitt, but you let go of the rope." Quarles reveals a gun hidden in a sleeve holster and shoots Arnett in the head. Yvette walks in and is also shot in the head by Quarles. Quarles asks a stunned Duffy if he knows him now, to which he replies yes. In "Harlan Roulette" Quarles meets with Duffy to discuss his business plan: Quarles is going to make fake IDs, medical records, MRIs, X-Rays using computers and printers in order to legitimize corrupt doctors. Quarles tells Duffy they are going to move into Harlan and open mobile trailers with a rotation of doctors filing prescriptions for oxycontin. The addicts in Harlan will get half of the pills at a regular price, while the other half goes back to Detroit for ten times the price. Glen Fogel calls to inform Duffy that Raylan has questioned him. Quarles tells Duffy to have Fogel attempt to kill Raylan. Quarles reasons that either Raylan will kill Fogel, getting him out of the way, or Fogel will kill Raylan, making it easier for them to continue. Quarles is later seen working on his "Taxi Driver" style sleeve holster (a small handgun attached to a track on a support wrapped around his arm). An enraged Raylan shows up at Duffy's mobile office after surviving the assassination attempt. Raylan orders Quarles to put his hands up and turn around, which he does. Raylan punches Duffy twice, and puts his boot on his throat, revealing that he knows Duffy called the hit on him. He then ejects a bullet from his gun, throwing it onto Duffy's chest, and threatens that the next one will come faster. Quarles counters by asking, "How fast do you think those bullets will be when they're heading back at you?" Raylan pulls out his cell phone, and takes a picture of Quarles before leaving. In "The Devil You Know", Quarles and Devil have a meeting. Quarles tells him that Tanner Dodd is somewhat of a "talent scout", who looks for criminals who are underutilized in their groups, and Quarles tells him that he knows that he is in second tier with Boyd Crowder, and that the enterprise is going nowhere. Devil tells him they have things lined up, but Quarles begins to go into a tirade to get his point across that sticking with Boyd isn't going to get him anywhere. Devil asks him if he has something better, and Quarles says he guarantees it. Quarles says that he can turn his "shitty little project" into a "money making machine" and he needs the right people. Quarles assures Devil he isn't lying to him, and that it will take Devil getting his hands dirty but the opportunity will only happen once. In "Thick as Mud", Quarles pays a visit to Boyd, who is in his cousin Johnny's bar. Quarles informs Boyd that he got BOTH of his messages, but Boyd tells him that he only remembered sending one. Quarles says that he insulted an employee of his, and appropriated his product. Quarles offers Boyd a partnership, saying that together they will make more money than they will as enemies. Boyd asks Quarles if he is familiar with the term "carpetbagger", which offends Quarles. Quarles gulps down his bourbon and thanks Boyd for it and walks away to leave. Boyd informs Quarles that men in three-piece suits have been coming from the North to Harlan for years, and that they always die by the end of summer. In "When the Guns Come Out", Quarles orders Duffy to find out all the information he can on Raylan so that he knows exactly where to apply pressure. Quarles also informs him that he knows someone in the Lexington FBI has been asking about him, and immediately suspects Raylan. Duffy says "sure thing boss", and Quarles seems to love the idea of being called boss. Duffy goes to leave, and Quarles goes into the back room of the office and begins to brutally assault the man tied to the bed who was shown earlier in the season. Unbeknownst to Quarles, Duffy returned and overheard the screams of pain from the man. Duffy later tells Quarles that Boyd's Oxy clinic was hit earlier that morning, and suspects Quarles was behind it. Quarles reassures Duffy that he wasn't. Duffy says he finds it a coincedence because a few hours later, Raylan shut down their Oxy clinic. Quarles laughs saying "that is awesome" about them losing a clinic but smoking out a dirty Marshal in the process. Quarles tells Duffy there's no way Raylan could have caught onto their clinic without an "inside" lead, and he believes that Raylan is working for Boyd, and declares it a smart play on the latter's part. Quarles soon learns from Duffy that Arlo Givens is a member of Boyd's crew, and appears to be delighted upon hearing the news. In "The Man Behind The Curtain", Quarles appears at the bar where Raylan has been keeping up bodyguard duties in order to stay in the room directly above it. He offers to double whatever amount of cash Boyd is paying since he believes Raylan is working directly for the convict. Raylan, however, does not accept his bribe and Quarles says he understands it but that he now knows where Raylan lives. Quarles informs Duffy that Raylan didn't accept the bribe, but that he is going to go meet up with someone who WON'T turn them down, and he also learns that his boss Theo Tonin's son Sammy Tonin is coming to visit, much to his displeause. Quarles holds hostility towards Sammy since Theo left all his inheritence to Sammy, despite Theo feeling that Quarles was better suited for the job. Quarles heads down to the Harlan Sheriff's office and bribes Tillman Napier with a briefcase of money to make Napier look the other way whenever Quarles makes a play to take over the Oxy business, as well to take care of Boyd Crowder and get him out of the way. Sammy suggests that Quarles is wasting his time dealing with a bunch of hillbillies but Quarles tells him that once the Oxy market is secured, it will bring in $1 million each month, and Quarles also asks Sammy for $50 grand, and Sammy agrees to get the money to him. However, Quarles is furious once he realizes that the wire transfer was canceled, and learns that Sammy stopped because the Marshals were onto him. Quarles tells him that next time the FBI is listening to make sure he tells them that Boyd and Raylan are working together. He soon goes to Tulsa to meet up with Gary Hawkins, the ex-husband of Raylan's wife Winona Hawkins. In "Watching the Detectives", Quarles, Mike, and Duffy have kidnapped Gary and bring him back to Winona and his old house in Lexington. Quarles asks Gary to deliver a message to Raylan, and whenever Gary asks what message, he is shot by a silenced pistol. Ellstin Limehouse, Bernard, and Errol visit Quarles at his office and Limehouse informs him that Boyd is backing Shelby for Sheriff. Quarles, however, asks why Limehouse is telling him this, and Limehouse replies that he likes to back the winning team. Quarles then meets Tanner in public. Tanner apologizes profusely for attracting attention from the law, and then promises to do whatever he can to make it up to Quarles. Detective Gerrity soon brings Quarles and Duffy in for questioning, where both men deny the "bullet scenario" ever happening but do confirm Raylan's assault on Duffy. Later, Sammy tells Quarles that Theo's guy in the bureau says that Raylan has managed to dodge the framing and that they cannot have anymore heat on them since they are already being heavily watched by the feds. Sammy tells Quarles that "It's over, you're out" because Quarles is becoming too much of a liability. Quarles, in anger, slings his arm forward causing his pistol on his arm holster to go into his hand, and he points it at Sammy. Sammy informs him that it will be a short and lonely life if he goes through with killing him. Quarles pulls the gun back in and tells him to get out of here. Quarles, in anger, ignores a phone call from his family and takes a dose of Oxy while listening to a preacher on the way to Limehouse's holler. Quarles says to Limehouse "You said you like to back the winning side." In "Loose Ends", Quarles meets up with Limehouse after their ordeal at Limehouse's holler in the previous episode. Limehouse provides Quarles with a campaign manager, Harvey Jones, who is also a county clerk presiding over the election for Sheriff. Jones reviews his plans for rigging the vote to Quarles, but Quarles doesn't want to hear any of it and simply wants results. In "Guy Walks Into a Bar", Quarles is seen celebrating with Napier in his office after he wins the eleciton. The conversation soon turns cold as Quarles orders Napier to move his stuff out of his office because he wants an office too. Soon, Harvey and Shelby, show up and Harvey announces that since Napier's estranged sister Hanna is on his payroll, Napier has to relinquish the title of Sheriff to Shelby, since he was the runner-up. Quarles angrily folds up his map and grabs his shot glass before exiting as the three man argue. Boyd, who is sitting with Johnny Crowder outside, says to Quarles, "You know what you are?" Boyd asks. "You are a conquistador, but we are not your savages. And now you get to leave with your life ... I hope you enjoyed your stay and you never forget who packed your bags." Quarles face tightens in a rage before relaxing into a broad smile. Quarles heads to his trailer where he proceeds to take several doses of Oxy. Soon Donovan, a friend of Brady Hughes (The street hustler that Quarles had bound and gagged in the back room earlier this season) shows up and holds Quarles and Duffy at gunpoint. He believes Quarles is responsible for the death of his friend, Brady. Quarles talks the boy down, explaining that his own father was a heroin addict who pimped him out to other men. When Theo Tonin caught wind of this horror, he offered Quarles the chance to murder his old man. So 14-year-old Quarles did just that. So, Quarles explained, he understood Brady only too well and only wanted to "set him free." Wynn watches in horror as Quarles, crying and shaking, lowers Donovan's gun and embraces the boy. Quarles and Duffy soon show up at the dive bar where Raylan resides. Quarles, who is high and drunk, says to Raylan "I'm going to kill you Raylan," "Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but someday you'll walking down the street and I'm going to put a bullet in the back of your skull.", but Raylan shoots his gun into the air as Quarles attempts to leaves and says "Why wait?" Quarles and Raylan soon agree to draw, but it is ruined when Lindsey, the barmaid, pulls a shotgun out on him and orders the men to leave. Quarles smiles and exits with Duffy, telling Raylan to remember what he said. Quarles is then seen taking doses of cocaine, while muttering things to himself. He strips down and heads into a bathroom, where Donovan is seen chained to the toilet. Relationships *Theo Tonin: Adoptive Father, Boss *Sammy Tonin: Adoptive Brother, Business Associate *Wynn Duffy: Business Parter *Emmitt Arnett: Associate in the Dixie Mafia, Murder Victim *Yvette: Associate's Secretary, Lover, Murder Victim *Tanner Dodd: Henchman, deceased *Devil: Associate, deceased *Doc Stern: Business associate, deceased *Gus: Henchman, deceased *Teddy: Henchman *Tillman Napier: Business associate *Ellstin Limehouse: Business associate *Harvey Jones: Business associate Memorable Quotes *"You had a good thing going here, Emmitt, but you let go of the rope." (Quarles to Emmitt Arnett in "The Gunfighter") *"You know me now?" (Quarles to Wynn Duffy in "The Gunfighter") *"How fast do you think those bullets will be when they're heading back at you?" (Quarles to Raylan Givens in "Harlan Roulette") Appearances Category: Season 3 Category:Characters Category:Recurring Characters